Restaurant Technology: Top 2024 Trends and Tools
In the bustling restaurant industry, it’s no longer just about how great your food is. As a restaurant manager, you need to stay on top of rapidly evolving restaurant technology trends to streamline your operations and increase sales and revenue. Do you have modern solutions in place to optimize your restaurant’s performance?
What is the Meaning of Restaurant Technology?
Restaurant technology refers to various technological solutions and tools that are used in the restaurant industry. This can include both on-premise and off-premise software applications, various equipment both FoH and BoH, and digital platforms. Ultimately, restaurant tech is all designed to enhance the efficiency and management of restaurant operations.
Whether you’re a small café owner or you are managing a chain of luxury dining spots, awareness of the latest tech tools and trends is crucial. Let’s explore the 2024 restaurant technology trends setting the stage for success in the restaurant industry.
Tech Trends for the Restaurant Industry
1. Digital Menus with Augmented Reality (AR)
Virtual reality and augmented reality are no longer just for the gaming world but we are seeing AR in other facets of our lives. Restaurants are leveraging AR to offer digital menus where diners can visualize their dish selections in 3D before placing an order. No more customers peering over to their neighboring table to catch a glimpse of a dish they are considering. AR not only enhances the dining experience but also helps reduce order regrets and returns.
2. Robot-Assisted Kitchens
Robotic assistance in kitchens isn’t about replacing chefs but rather enhancing their capabilities. These kitchen robots help in tasks like chopping, stirring, and plating, ensuring speed and precision, and allowing chefs to focus on the artistry and nuances of their dishes.
3. AI-Power
Today, it’s all about AI. Advanced AI algorithms process customer feedback, online reviews, and order histories to provide actionable insights. This helps restaurants personalize their marketing campaigns, tailor their menus, and optimize pricing strategies based on real-time data. In 2024, it is anticipated that there will be an increased focus on using AI to address the staffing challenges in the restaurant industry. This approach will likely emphasize technology-driven solutions that alleviate the burden of continuous recruitment.
4. Hyper-personalized Experiences
Integrating technology to offer customizable options is a straightforward and effective method to enhance the personalization of your guest experience. We expect more personalization, custom apps, and guest-centric recommendations through tech this year.
5. Smart Inventory Management
With IoT (Internet of Things) devices and advanced food service technology, restaurants can closely monitor their inventory levels, understand ingredient shelf life, and predict order quantities. This technology minimizes waste, reduces costs, and ensures fresh ingredients for customers.
Inventory management software can be a real game-changer. These tools can automatically keep track of things like ingredient and liquor amounts, ensuring you never have to 86 (read: run out of) a menu item and potentially disappoint a customer. Systems like Upserve even let users automatically re-up on needed items, and make ordering a breeze with features like alerts and one-click purchasing.
6. Event and Private Dining Management Reimagined: Tripleseat
Tripleseat stands out as a game-changer for restaurants that offer event services, private dining, and catering. This game-changing software simplifies the process of booking and executing events. With features like integrated document management, streamlined communication, and detailed reporting, Tripleseat ensures that event management is a breeze. Whether you’re managing a wedding, corporate luncheon, or birthday party, this tool is a must-have for any restaurant looking to streamline its event operations.
7. Eco-friendly Tech Integrations
With growing environmental concerns, restaurants are using tech solutions that promote sustainability. This includes energy-efficient kitchen appliances, smart waste management systems, and even apps that help distribute leftover food to those in need.
8. Voice-Activated Ordering
Voice technology, like Amazon’s Alexa or Google’s Assistant, is entering the restaurant world. Customers can use these devices to place orders, make reservations, or even ask about daily specials, making the interaction hands-free and intuitive.
Maybe you’ve seen a self-ordering kiosk at an airport restaurant or new fast-casual eatery. These techie additions do way more than simply take guests’ orders — they can gather helpful customer information, lower labor costs, virtually eliminate incorrect orders, and free up your staff to provide great customer service in other ways. Lightspeed, Zivelo, and Elo all offer sleek, modern self-ordering kiosks that are solid options for speedy ordering.
9. Scheduling Tech
Trying to manually schedule your employees can feel like a game of Tetris that never ends. Add in factors like prolonged illness and unexpected turnover, and the task gets stressful quickly. Luckily, scheduling software — like 7shifts, Restaurant365, and When I Work — can eliminate a lot of these pain points. Not only do these tools save you time, but they can track and reduce labor costs, and make it easier to communicate with your other locations.
10. Hiring Platforms
It’s no surprise that being understaffed can pose serious problems for your restaurant operations. It can result in subpar service, slower kitchens, and details falling through the cracks. Avoid those mishaps with hiring software that pinpoints the best employees for your business. Platforms like Poached Jobs help you vet candidates, get your open listings in front of the right people, and more.
11. Waste Management Software
As eco-consciousness and sustainability become increasingly important to diners, restaurants are getting creative with their waste management. Along with paring down straws and eliminating single-use plastics where possible, there are also waste and recycling tech options. Brands such as Rubicon have engineered solutions that allow restaurants to send fewer leftovers to landfills, save money, and keep their spaces sparkling clean.
12. POS Systems
Most restaurants run on their point-of-sale (or POS) system. This is where financial transactions take place for customers. Thus, POS systems are heavily relied upon to work properly and accurately at all times. Popular systems like Toast know that industry pros rely on these tools to control operations, increase sales, and work seamlessly with their other processors.
13. Reservation Systems
Online reservations are some of the most longstanding types of restaurant technology. Sites like OpenTable and Resy see tons of traffic from people in search of restaurant reservations for dining. These online marketplaces make it easy for restaurants to fill empty seats at any time. It’s lightyears ahead in efficiency over showing up and hoping there’s no wait for a table or following the old-school process of manually dialing up every spot in the local phone book.
Looking for a Large Party Reservation solution?
TripleseatDirect is a frictionless direct event booking platform for on-premise private events, off-premise catering, and large party reservations. Built on the Tripleseat platform, TripleseatDirect enables venues to book more catering, private events, and large party reservations faster.
14. Point-of-sale Tech
Most restaurants run on their point-of-sale (or POS) system. This is where financial transactions take place for customers. Thus, POS systems are heavily relied upon to work properly and accurately at all times. Popular systems like Toast know that industry pros rely on these tools to control operations, increase sales, and work seamlessly with their other processors.
15. Food and Beverage Cost Solutions
Keeping tabs on your food and beverage volume is crucial to maintaining a healthy bottom line. Food cost management platforms like Orderly make the process easy through automated invoices and inventory counts while connecting with your suppliers and your POS system to boot. In a similar vein, BevSpot allows users to manage inventory, view sales data, and track orders while on the go.
16. Wearable Tech
The most nascent of these trends, wearable tech is almost sure to make a big splash in the industry in the near future. There’s already buzz around devices, like Presto’s, that restaurant team members wear to alert them that a table needs something or that they’d like to speak to a manager. Faster response means an overall better dining experience, and that can lead to more business.
Update your Restaurant Technology with Tripleseat
Staying updated with technology trends isn’t just a nice-to-have for restaurants—it’s essential! To remain competitive and offer an unmatched dining experience, leveraging the right tech tools, like Tripleseat, is the way forward. The future of the restaurant industry is here, and it’s tech-infused! Are you ready? Schedule time to find out how Tripleseat can streamline your operations.
